instead of natural hair styles? For instance, my boyfriend (1 yr and a half) loves my locs, but since I can remember he always told me that is preference was always: "a jet-black wrap" on a woman because "it looked good". I was always thinking to myself "Wow, how ignorant?" Then I asked him did he know what type of chemicals that are in the relaxers that damage our beautiful hair. After I told him, he was shocked, but it seems like he still would prefer "the wrap". What's ironic about this is that he is from Detroit (one of the hair capitals of America) and you would think he would embrace different types of hair/hairstyles :-/. Don't get me wrong like I said before he "loves" my locs. He always gives me ideas of what colors I should try or what style I should try, but I wonder if he does this just because it's "ME" instead of realizing how beautiful natural hair can be. I do almost every hair style with my locs because I feel like you can do ANYTHING the women with the wraps, weaves, lace fronts, sew-ins, etc. can do. So what's the big deal about "the wrap".

Here is what I thought of the recipe.

After two and a half years of being natural, I am finally starting to experiment on different styles and looks. My carefree attitude toward's my natural hair created a path to my becoming a little bored of my everyday image. Now I am spicing things up a bit, creating different everyday styles, from funky to formal.

Here is a video tutorial I made which was inspired by Dorothy Dandridge's sensual and elegant style. I adore her short hairdos which still had that feminine touch.

As I am a also fashion designer, I spiced my look up a bit with a cute vintage style dress I made. I just recently started this channel on youtube so I will be doing a few more experimental styles and tuturials. Hope you enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8kRqqW7E78

Enter for your chance to win She's A Lady-Hair Tie from Tomoka's Twists. Ends 7/19/2010.

Maybe they're too thick or something.. But I've been trying to put my hair into a bun for the longest and and just won't work lol :)

I have a job interview coming up too, and i need hair ideas so that I don't scare with the way I usualy wear my eccentric hair lol...

PLEASE HELP ME!!!!

Hello my sistas, I am new to this group and so blessed to have found this site filled with people of the same spirit. Now my little problem is that I am trying to get locs in my hair and I am hearing a dozen different ways of going about it. I hear I have to cut all of my hair off, I hear I can keep the ends with perm still in it, I hear to use a honey and lime mix and my hair will loc up even with my perm and I can cut it off as my hair grows out. Ugh! lol. I would just love to get my beautiful locs in but correctly. Does anyone have any pointers on just how I should start these??
Thanks so much!

hi, i just turned 18 on march 19 2010. and in march was my 1 year anniversary!! YAY! :D

Following my initial process into locs. my peers couldn't understand why i did it
They asked questions like: Did u get dreads because u don't want to do your hair? and Did u want dreads 'cause of Lil Wayne? Do u like Bob Marley? and continuously, they would ask me WHY DID YOU GET DREADS?? even though i told them the answer plenty of times....

I would say things like: because i got tired of hiding my natural beauty; because chemicals were breaking my hair, and because i want to be me...

SOOO, i'm asking other natural hair lovers, on this site, WHY DID U GO NATURAL?? maybe ill get some pointers to help females my age to understand..

:D
shari<3

My original idea was to make a hair butter using just horsetail since I've gotten so many requests whenever I sell at craft fairs. But just like when I'm cooking food, I can never follow the original recipe. I have to add a little of this or that spontaneously to the mix. I ended up adding lots of Nettle which is one of my favorite herbs and Parsley to the mix. I also added a hair loss prevention blend of Rosemary, Lavender, Cypress, Clary Sage, and Juniper.

This is a video collab hosted by Chesca Leigh of Chesca Locs..too funny. The part where the guy is talking about the person asking if he can "feel that" is hilarious:

Just the other day at a Super Bowl gathering (go, Saints!!) someone was admiring myheadwrap, and she asked me how I did it. This reminded me that I had written a headwrap article a while back for a natural hair site, so I decided to make it a Cultured Expressions free project sheet. Enjoy! --- lisa
http://culturedexpressions.com/make-projects.php

I’m bald and I really want my hair to grow!!!!

Well, the truth is that I am not really bald. But my hair is really, really short. I had long natural hair until my head was shaved during my initiation into the orisa priesthood. And though I feel that the sacrifice was well worth it I am starting to realize something:

I really miss my hair.

It’s coming in slowly and I am loving the little curls that I now feel on my head (feel because I cannot look in the mirror yet to see them). But a few nights ago I had a dream I had big fat juicy twists and I even felt the weight of them as I moved. I was a never a fan of doing hair but I realize that I miss washing, conditioning, and styling my hair, as well as making my homemade hair products.

Rosemary Oil
Then I remembered something. I used to make a hair growth spritz made simply of water, hair conditioner, and rosemary oil that I combined together in a spray bottle that used to contain Bath and Body Works’ Sweet Pea Body Spray (I miss perfumes too. *sigh*). The conditioner helps to keep my hair soft and the rosemary oil stimulates the scalp and helps hair to grow.

I found myself talking to locs one afternoon while retwisting. It's kind of a quiet meditative time for me, but when I told one loc to "stay still" and another loc to, "get out of the way" I realized that these babies have taken on a life of their own! In a way I am like a mother, a "LOCTOMOM" and these are my babies. As they grow and mature, they are growing personalities unique to their strands.

THE FAT ONE that's the one that sits at the top of my head. I kinda think of it as the cheerleader on the squad who you notice has packed on some weight over the summer, but you don't know how to approach her with the issue. I mean, I didn't plan to have a loc that thick, but alas.

THE THIN ONE The one that sits right about my right ear. It was crying out for help. So I paired her up with the loc next to it and they became siamese twins.

Hello ladies...

I've haven't had a relaxer since September. I'm blessed to have decent hair that does what it is told. I like straight styled hair. I'm going natural to be healthier and to grow my hair out, say shoulder length. And maybe wear it curly in the summer.

Since Christmas I've noticed that my new growth is becoming a challenge.

I teach Zumba fitness 3 times a week. So my roots are getting thick. I use a hair dryer with a comb every morning and evenings of the 3 days I teach class. Since Jan. I've had to use a straightening comb.

I have a hair stylist that does awesome work with my hair. Instead of seeing him every other month. I need to go once a month now.

I got my hair done New Year's Eve.

This is me and my husband New Year's Eve.

And now I'm ready for another hair appointment.

I can't count how many times a day I find my hands in my hair feeling the different textures each of my locs has thus far designed. Each one different than the next but filled with love all the same. Although this is my second set and I am some what impatient on the growth and have regrets for cutting the first set, I have never been more satisfied with any hair style more than this one. I have become more confident in myself, more spiritual, and have discovered so many more beautiful loced sistahs as myself who also share the love of being loced or even natural. I have come to realize it is not a hairstyle but a way of life. I find myself wanting to eat healthier, meditate more, seek the truth of my history more and not allowing my desire for knowledge to be denied.

Hi ladies! My name is Tasha and I'm a natural gal and have been without a relaxer since April of '08, but I BC'd in August of '08.

I was one of the lucky girls who was able to quickly adapt a routine and products when I started my natural hair journey. I've been fortunate enough to try a few products and I've stuck with them since day one.

One of those products was shea butter. I started off with a very expensive shea butter because I wasn't sure where to find shea butter that was on the ground in my area. I bought something from a store in the mall (bad combo of words there) and I will NEVER do that again. What I did do, was add oils and things to my shea butter to enhance it's effectiveness.

Since then, every time I've bought shea butter, I've tried adding new things to it. It wasn't until this summer that I finally found the magic recipe for my hair.

www.christinegant.etsy.com

I find that the transition into natural hair care is as big as the transition into natural hair. I didn't start out using natural products for my hair. I don't even remember making a decision about it. It just happened. I guess one day I looked at the ingredients of my shampoo and literally did not recognize any of the ingredients because they looks like names of chemical compounds rather than something that should be in my hair. I also knew I had to do something about my psoriasis which is a skin condition in which the skin cells mature at a rapidly faster rate than normal and the end product of this maturation is flaky dead skin cells. Unfortunately, I have this condition towards the front of my scalp. I knew I needed something more to handle this problem. So I started researching products. I decided to start using pure essential oils and for shampoo, I decided to use Carol

My precious daughter is 5 yrs old and begin to wonder why her hair was not long? It really concerned me that she had these feelings so young but I had to be real with my self and look at her life; I have two older sons( 9 and 13) and these types of feelings have not surface yet. I decided to walk in her shoes and began to view her world through a 5 year old, and noticed all the fake braids, weave and perms at such a young age, at church and school and TV. I even research the internet for solutions. this is how I found ymib a while ago. I found information but not always gear towards children; I have viewed positive and negative hair care solution on you tube. My hair is natural so it is normal for me to have wanted this style for my daughter. I even thought that Chris Rock's movie "Good Hair" would offer more positive insight; ( I have not seen it... but the reviews I read were mixed- especially lacking women and children with natural hair.

Ymib has help me to stay focus on being a mom(thanks) ...this is my first real post..but now I realized my creative force I will now blog natural hair and living for my princess and share my information.

I send many thanks to Lumayna for posting the Oprah episode on Chris Rock’s “Good Hair” documentary. Please check out her blog because this sistah brings up so many interesting and precise points. I have not seen the movie yet and do plan on doing so. (Hasn’t been released yet) Lumayna mentions that Chris Rock should have touched upon the historical attributes of the term “Good Hair.” And I do also believe the same to an extent and how he missed certain things that should have been discussed. Another thing I have to agree with Lumayna on is the fact that this movie is just repeating a lot of stuff sistah’s already know. And for it to be an informative movie targeting black women, it sure does play a broken record.

Ok, so I know everyone heard by now of the documentary that Chris Rock sent forth. If you haven't, well here's some clips of his enlightening journey

Ok so what is he trying to prove or change? What is he trying to accomplish by putting this video out there? What is he trying to shed light on? Are some of the questions I had after viewing this pre-screening clip. So I watched the Oprah show hoping to answer some of these questions and Chris Rock still failed me.

Here's some more clips

People always ask me, "How did you get your hair like that?" and without I thinking, I proceed to tell them how I achieved the style I am wearing and it’s maintenance aspects. Some follow up with asking how to go about transitioning. And again, I just explain ways to transition with the end result being cutting off their processed ends and having a head full of natural hair.

I have never thought of starting off my natural hair ‘dissertations’ with what should be the very first opening sentence and should go something like; before embarking on the natural hair journey, you must first be in a natural state of mind. Being in a ‘natural state of mind’ is actually the most important part of the natural hair journey and this really determines whether you actually stay on the journey. You must first change the way you think about natural hair before transitioning or doing a big chop.

A Page From My Journal

A few years back, I started writing down my thoughts, inspirations, and experiences so that one day I could look back and see how I came to be. There is one particular journal entry that I really felted moved by, and I share this passage with my friends on my natural hair website and blog. So I thought I would share it on here as well. It's a little poetic and very expressive. But sharing this is really about reaching out to any one that may have struggles of their own. It doesn't necessarily have to be the same struggle, but if you can recognize that their is something in your life that is missing - then maybe you can relate. It's good to express yourself through writing, art, music or dance. Because that is one of the best ways that you can learn and grow as a person. This journal entry is from 2006, but the thoughts and feelings are alive and well today.
 

Drawing by Eric Battle

This article can be found on www.meshplex.org and type in relaxers in the search engine.

The Effects of Hair relaxers

SisterlocksEvery six weeks for years sometimes from childhood it happens. What would make a person bounded in this way for years? The answer is hair relaxers. Most people of African descent have tightly coiled hair that most people call “nappy”. Some people take the statement of nappy as negative whereas some people embrace it. Black people from all different countries relax their hair, because they are afraid if they don’t they will not be accepted by corporate settings and sometimes their own family and friends.

Why not keep the status quo and do what most Black people do and relax or what some people call it “perm” your hair?

Hair relaxers have harmful health effects.
Chemical burns
Irritation
Red scalp
Receding hairline

Absolutely avoid any products that have mineral oil, petroleum jelly and alcohol. These are the 3 bigger no nos for natural hair. I recommended anything 100% organic. These are the products I use and will post their websites. The products I use are not only organic but they are black owned and made by black people. Remember Black Green Black. They have products for women with and without locks so no one is left out. Enjoy!

www.goingohm.com- crown of glory herbal shampoo or the lemongrass shampoo. I will be trying their aloe vera hair gel and oils soon.
www.joienaturals.com- Mygel lock gel
www.viennasherbalcompounds.com- I use their jojoba oil, rose oil, and hair dressing conditioner which is very liquidy thin and it smells very good

If you suffer with constant itching of the scalp. I recommend Thayers Medicated Superhazel with Aloe Vera. You can find this at a health food store or on ebay.

So far it's been one month growing strong, but some of my locs are becoming rebellious. I thought I had plethora of information of how to care for my locs, comes to find out that I don't really know what I'm doing. I had someone start them off for me and decided to continue caring for them on my own. The reason for that is because I had numerous bad experiences with people doing my hair, so I only trust myself and people with good aura. With that said, I use to have dandruff problems and would use Top Brass to medicate my scalp. It worked miracles for me and even discontinued using it. But once I started my loc'ing process, my dandruff problem returned and I committed a crime by applying the cream without realizing that it will cause buildup. Now my build ups are visible and I don't even want to know what's going on in back of my head, but I know it's an embarrassment. I have white specs every where and I don't want to say this, but my locs are looking dirty. I was told not to wash my hair for 3 months and to re-twist every 2-3 weeks in order to prevent my hair from thinning and becoming fragile.

so, I have naturally curly hair, and I have no idea what to do with it.
I mean it looks nice. but it gets soo frizzy and dry at times and too much oil makes it heavy. I just do not know what to do with my hair. also what other hairstyles can i do besides wearing it down and all over my head? I have tight curls and the frizz is a mess.

Can someone please give me some tips and product to use?? I need some help.

Thanks!

Jenny

Hey Sistahs!!

Today I'm closing the contest at 11:59pm for the chance to win "The Knotty Truth" and a winner will be choosen will it be you??

Check out my blog for details!!

www.NappturallySpeaking.blogspot.com

Hey Sistahs

I had the pleasure to meet a great author today by the name of Michelle George. She is the author of "The Knotty Truth" I've started reading the book and so far it's great! Check out my post about it on my blog!!

http://nappturallyspeaking.blogspot.com/2009/08/knotty-truth-part-2.html

Nappturally Yours,

MoZaic

Here is a list of a few healthy foods to incorporate into our diets for healthier hair.

Whole Grains
Stone ground whole wheat bread and fortified whole grain breakfast cereals contains healthy doses of zinc, iron, and B vitamins. B vitamins are very important for the health and growth of the hair.

Dark Green Vegetables
Spinach, Broccoli and Swiss Chard are excellent sources of vitamins A and C, which your body needs to produce sebum. Sebum is an oil secreted by your hair follicles in order to lubricate the skin and hair.

Beans
Kidney Beans and lentils should be an important part of your hair care diet. They provide plentiful protein to promote hair growth, iron, zinc, and biotin. Zinc helps to create a healthy scalp, and without it, dandruff and flakiness can occur and can lead to hair shedding. Biotin is often recommended for strengthening hair and nails. Deficiency in Biotin is extremely rare, as intestinal bacteria generally produce an excess of the body's daily requirement.

Salmon

Hey Ladies,

I found a lady by the name of Michelle George she's the author of a book called "The Knotty Truth". Michelle George is a resident of Columbus, Oh and a Natural hair care advocate. Her book "The Knotty Truth" is for people who are transitioning to a natural state. From her website the description of the book says it "explores the mental and physical journey of transitioning back to your nappy roots. How to do it successfully with the right products, the right styles and the right tools!"

Even though I'm not transitioning I will be purchasing the book this weekend and blogging about it afterwards. If you are in the metropolitan area of Columbus, OH Michelle George will be at 'The Raisin Rack" Natural Grocery Store 2545 Schrock Road Westerville, Ohio 43081 on Saturday August 8, 2009 at 11am. They have limited seating folks!! So RSVP by calling 614-882-5886

Be sure to check out her website at: http://www.theknottytruth.net/home.html

Nappturally Yours,

MoZaic